One Fateful Night
by Heart of the Matter
Summary: Sometimes things stay the same forever. Sometimes all it takes to change something is one fateful night. Love isn't a battlefield, it's a maze with no map, and the challenge is reaching the center despite all the dead ends - AU, Rated M for later chapters
1. Prologue

**Remember - The ideal nutrition source for an author is 'Reviews'**

**Disclaimer - These are not my characters. I just like to play around with them.**

**Prologue**

The chill of the night that had pierced him only moments ago was now non-existent to his blistering skin that sweated as he ran down the street, breath racing as if he had been running a marathon.  
He looked behind him fearfully and turned back only to smash into a mail box and tumble to a fall.  
The cold pavement sizzled against the bare, scorching skin of his back and for a second, the welcomed sensation made him want to stay; to not get up and run further.  
He knew they were getting close.  
But he knew another thing too.  
If it meant his life would be saved, he would run from a fight but never would he just lay there and give up.

So he stood up once more, but his head began to spin from the pain of the fall and he almost lost his balance.  
The sound of sliced air made him vigilant and he turned back to where he had been running away from but with barely any time to react, all he could do was stand in shock as a throwing dagger stabbed into his hip.  
He moved his pained stare from his wound to where the dagger may have come from but his vision blurred and he knew he had to move fast.

Without thinking, he walked up the path of the home in front of where he had fallen.  
His steps started to bend sideways and his sight lost more focus as he climbed the stairs that led to the porch.  
He lifted his free hand, the one that wasn't enveloping his bleeding wound, and banged his fist against the door with any energy that he could gather.  
He blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying in vain to clear his sight and inhaled a raspy gulp of air when the door opened.

If he had been able to see, he would have noticed the short, wide eyed brunette who had opened the door.  
He would have also seen the child, merely a baby, who she held tightly against her.  
If he had been able to comprehend anything, he would have heard her asking him his name.  
He would have heard her gasp at the sight of what happened next.  
With a dazed swoon, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward, his body contorted into the inhuman shape of the porch.

And that is how, on one fateful night, Draco Malfoy ended up on Hermione Granger's doorstep.

**Oooh cliffhanger. To find out what happens next, you are welcome send me requests, beggings or demands for the next chapter by clicking on the awesome little button below.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Remember - The ideal nutrition source for an author is 'Reviews'**

**Disclaimer - These are not my characters. I just like to play around with them.**

**A/N - I couldn't sleep all night because I'm not feeling so good. So... there you go! I'm being nice and giving the first chapter to you earlier than I planned!**

**Chapter 1**

Draco Malfoy, finally coming to his mind, lay on a soft, plush bed, under a thick quilt that enveloped him in warmth that gave him a long forgotten sense of safety. He kept his eyes closed, reveling in the velvety feel of the feathery pillows. It had been a long time since he had slept on such a comfortable bed; in fact, it had been a long time since he had slept at all, let alone feel so refreshed. In the back of his mind, a voice was warning him to be vigilant. He had no idea where he was, but comfort as such was so rare in his life that even if he tried, he wouldn't have been able to leave the haven he was lying in right now. He sighed deeply and tried to shift to a more comfortable position when shot of pain developed in his hip and made him bite him lips, lest he shout out loud. He moved his hand down to where the pain was coming from and it ran over a bandage, giving him the reassurance that he was definitely in a safe place. If _they _had captured him, he'd be in chains, bleeding to death, rather than in what felt like heaven on Earth.

He was never going to leave this bed.

Draco's eyes shot open and he sat up, ignoring the sharp sting that was provoked by his movement, as he had been trained to do, when he heard the loud sound of something wailing. He looked around the room he was in but couldn't make out much since it was too dark. Clearing his thoughts about where he was, he focused on the noise to realize that it was a baby.

_What? A baby?_

Confused, he thought about last night, or what he assumed to be last night because Merlin knew how long he'd been out, what with all the sleep deprivation. He'd been running from some of their men when he'd crashed into a bloody mailbox and fallen down. When he got up, he'd been hit by a dagger and he'd run to the house in front of him, knowing that they would probably have expected him to run further away rather than hide in plain sight. He'd knocked on the door and then… Draco lifted his fingers and pressed his temples. That's probably when he'd blacked out.

_What the hell Draco? Blacked out by a bloody dagger? You're really losing game man. To think you'd survived a Sectusempra; alone. In a desert!_

He stood up, which took a lot more effort than he had expected, and walked over to the door.

...

Hermione was sitting downstairs in the kitchen, feeding the baby that was sitting in her high chair. She looked at her little girl's soft blonde curls that she had inherited from her father and how they fell over her large hazelnut eyes, something that she had inherited from her. She was a mixture of her parents, but every time Hermione looked at her, she was reminded of the life she had before he had left her, alone to survive by herself. If she had been anyone else, Hermione would have broken down; she would have been a mess. But she was pregnant, and husband or not, she would take care of her baby so well, that she would never even think to ask about her father. Hermione was strong and independent. After getting married, she had decided that she wanted to work for her house and her family, and with the support of her husband, she had left work. Before she knew it, she was pregnant, but it seems that happiness never lasted too long in her life and one night, just like that, he'd left.

Hermione shook her head in self-chastising. She'd tried hard to put all of this behind her and focus on the future, but occasionally, her mind would wander to all that could have been, had things happened differently that one night when her life had changed completely.

The loud cry of her baby stopped her from getting lost in her thoughts once again, and she looked down to see Cassy, protesting about the lack of attention, and more importantly food, she was getting. The girl was smart and knew how to get what she wanted.

_Well Hermione, you're the one to blame for that mess. There are only two people she can get that habit from: her parents._

"Cassiopeia," Hermione warned her daughter, and the little girl quietened down instantly, "Don't you have any patience, love?"

She leaned over and fed Cassy a spoon of the peach flavored baby food she liked so much, and the baby gurgled happily, a lot of what had gone in her mouth falling out of the corners of her mouth in result. Hermione laughed at the innocence of her child, simply happy that her baby was smiling. After feeding her the bowl of Cerelac, she took Cassy out of her high chair and cleaned up the kitchen.

Hermione went into the living room, switched on the TV to a music channel and hummed along to the song. She knew that Cassy loved listening to music and it always excited the child to end. She'd clap, bounce around, and nod her head energetically as if she were trying to dance to the music. Hermione put her in her play pen and turned to sit down on the couch.

...

Draco walked down the stairs as quietly as he could, the pain in his hip stinging him with even the slightest of movements that he made. Finally reaching the bottom of the steps, he sighed in relief, only too soon because a wave of strong aches hit his head and he felt dizzy as he leaned against the wall to steady himself. Taking another step forward, he turned to the living room to see a baby, maybe 8 to 10 months old sitting in a play pen, clapping enthusiastically, and a woman, a brunette turning towards him and walking to the couch.

When she looked up, Draco's eyes widened with surprise, but the pain in his head overwhelmed him and for the second time, he fell down and blacked out.

**This was a setting the scene and getting the drama started chapter. I hope it wasn't a bore. I'll put up chapter 2 soon but I've got to be out all day for the next two days so it might take a little while, but I'll try finding time.  
Happiness is when an author wakes up in the morning, checks her email and smiles at the Review Alerts that she's got.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Remember - The ideal nutrition source for an author is 'Reviews'**

**Disclaimer - These are not my characters. I just like to play around with them.**

Hermione, humming to Beyonce, put Cassy in her play pen and turned to sit on the couch. After such a hectic few days, she deserved some relaxation time. Taking care of one baby was enough, but taking care of a severely injured, grown man was a totally different thing. It had been ages since she had done any healing spells. It was quite her luck when she'd found a wand strapped to his calf, hidden by the bottoms of his trousers. It meant that she could use magic on him because he was in a very dangerous condition and it would have taken too long to get him to muggle doctors, who probably wouldn't have been able to help him anyway since the dagger had pierced him, but the real injury was a magical one.

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see him standing there, surprised that he was awake, let alone the fact that he had navigated his way down the stairs and was now in her hallway. Hermione moved around the couch that was between them but his eyes widened momentarily, before his hand went up to his head and he fell down, unconscious again.

_Just great._

The impact of him to the floor sounded a loud thump which scared Cassy, making her cry, and try to crawl out of her pen to reach Hermione.

_Even better._

...

When Draco opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see that he was back in the bed where he had been before. He put his hand to his forehead, trying to remember what exactly had happened before he blacked out. He'd woken up and heard the sound of a baby crying, which made him get off the treasured heaven of a bed and try to tackle the stairs. The effort must have taken a lot out of him because when he finally reached the bottom, he got a massive migraine. He'd tried to stand up straight and keep his balance. When he'd stumbled into what was obviously the living room of the house, he's seen a baby, probably the one that was crying earlier, and...

Hermione!

_No! No... Was it? It couldn't be. Nah... Draco you've hit your head too hard. Plus, you're back in bed. Chances are you never even got out of it. And if you didn't, then that was one hell of a vivid illusion._

Draco shifted to his side, making himself comfortable. That's all it was: some stupid illusion probably caused by some drug he may have been given to help him heal. Sleeping off the experience would be best. He'd find out where he was and who he was with when he woke up. Smiling slightly, he buried the side of his face into the pillow - _God! Who made these things? They were divine! -_ and tried to fall back to sleep. Draco's nose twitched and he sniffled as something tickled it lightly.

He opened his eyes, only to shout and roll over, effectively tangling himself in the sheets and falling off the other side of the bed, "Oh my God, what the hell?" - and making Cassy cry. Draco rubbed his eyes and tried to clear his vision as you do after you've woken up from a long sleep.

_I'm hallucinating. I'm hallucinating. No. I did not just see Hermione Granger sitting in on a chair and a baby on her lap, who was bloody touching my nose. Draco, you are seeing things._

Draco closed his eyes and looked up again only to find Hermione, still standing there, trying to make the baby stop crying.

...

Hermione pulled Cassy back a second too late, as she had already startled the poor man and made him fall over. That would not be good for his hip. She stood up and took Cassy over her shoulder patting the crying child softly on her back to soothe her. Too busy with the baby, she mumbled a quick "So sorry!" and left the room. The easiest way to calm a frightened child was to take it away from what had frightened it. Being a few steps away from the man wasn't going to stop Cassy's crying easily.

...

Draco watched, wide eyes, as she quickly apologized and took the baby out of the bedroom.

_That was... Hermione Granger! Of all the porches you could be half dead on, it had to be hers. Shit!_

He fell back, lying on the floor, and stared at the ceiling silently. He had no idea how he would approach her. During the war, after he had changed sides - _Can you believe it had taken Potter saving his life to make him realize that he was on the wrong side? - _and the war had ended, he'd seen her at the Great Memorial, and then finally at the Freedom Ball. They had parted ways and never crossed paths over the next four years, until now.

_Really Draco? Granger's porch? Well you bled on it, and if she's still the same as before, she's going to make you bleed all over it again and then when she's sure you can't take any more pain, she's going to make you clean up your mess. Bravo Malfoy._

But what Draco wondered about the most was how she'd ended up in the magical area of the suburbs rather than in a big mansion with 'Minister of Magic: Hermione Granger' printed on a board outside it. More than that, he also wondered _who_ she'd ended up with, and where he was right now, since judging by the looks of it through the window, it was well past midnight. Maybe he was an Auror or something. Draco's thoughts then shifted to the baby. He hadn't been able to get a good look at it because when he'd opened his eyes, the sight of a tiny hand poke his nose had scared him shitless.

_A baby scared you shitless Draco. Wow._

He knew it had curly blonde hair and that it was girl because it was wearing little red dress. Draco always had a soft spot for little babies since he'd hung out with his friends many times and seen them interact with their own younger siblings, disappointed that he would never have that for himself. Forgetting about the baby, he tried to focus on what he would do when he went down again, or when she came back into the room. He was feeling much better now and was sure that he'd be able to last a conversation, if not more before he felt tired again.

_Plus, I'm starving._

He got up, deciding that it'd be now, or it'd be later, but he'd have to face her at some point. He couldn't even hide in the room because this wasn't his house and she could come in to check on him whenever she pleased. Making his way down once more, he gave a sigh of relief when he reached the bottom of the stairs and didn't get another migraine. In front of him was the door, leading out to the front yard, and to his left was the living room which he vaguely remembered from his last venture down the stairs... of doom!

_Stupid stairs._

The room was empty so he turned and walked to his right, and found that he was in the kitchen. The baby was there, sitting in her high chair and making a mess of a bowl of melted chocolate. She had large eyes, obviously her mothers that, at the moment, matched the chocolate that she had spread all over her round face, and bare arms. Her light blonde curls reached just below her ears and framed her face beautifully. She was a very cute baby.

And there _she_ was.

Hermione was leaning against an island, her back turned to him, singing along to the song playing on the music system, lyrics he recognised as Life After You by Daughtry. He'd picked up everything he could know about muggles over the last two years. If he hadn't, there was no way he would have survived under hiding. Draco pressed his palms together, nervous, wondering what he should say.

_How about hello? Or sorry for making your child cry? Or sorry for being dead all over your porch?_

"Um... nice song," he smiled nervously, cracking the bones in his fingers, a habit of his when he was anxious.

_Nice song? That's the best you can come up with?_

...

Hermione turned around, surprised, but collected herself instantly, "Yea, it is. Are you feeling better?"

"Yea, thank you. I'm sorry about earlier."

She looked at his expression, and he looked genuinely nervous. Getting no evil "get-him-away-from-my-baby-and-kill-him" vibes, she loosened up, "Which part? Screaming at my baby or bleeding on my porch?"

...

_Bingo. _

He'd been waiting for her to mention that. Draco smiled, "Both. I didn't mean to bleed on your porch and if the mess is still there, I'll clean it up. As for the baby, I think I had a right to be shocked out of my mind when I opened my eyes to find a tiny little hand fingering my nostrils, don't you think?"

Hermione laughed, "Okay, I'll let you off for that one, and I've already cleaned your mess so you're going to have to make up for it some other way."

"Whatever you say."

"Okay first of all, I'd like to know who you are, and what exactly you were doing in such a mess outside my door."

**WHAT? She doesn't know who he is? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? Any guesses? You can guess through your reviews. You know I'm starving, and your reviews satiate my hunger! So feed the hungry!**


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